Local 6 Theme World: Interact at Disney- New Pirates Game Coming to Adventureland

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January 23, 2013

Arrrgh! Mateys!

Disney just announced an open secret in the theme park world: A new interactive game is coming soon to Adventureland. There have been props popping up all over that section of the Magic Kingdom for months.Now here is the concept art for "A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas"

Let's take a closer look at what it shows. Faces with light up eyes are all over the place.Like the skull that appears to launch a cannon to strike a bell over schooling sharks.

Or the eyes near a cobra that pops out of a basket.

You can also see a face similar to Madam Leota in the Haunted Mansion -- along with ships in bottles in the Agrabah Marketplace area.

Disney says "Treasures of the Seven Seas" will debut this Spring. From the press release: "guests will use a pirate map and magic talisman to help them complete five different pirate raids throughout Adventureland. The goal is to help locate different Treasures of the Seven Seas and fight off pirate enemies like the Royal Navy and Captain Barbossa, among others. If guests help Captain Jack succeed in all the missions, they'll be welcomed as part of his new crew."

All in all, it looks much more organic to Adventureland. It appears to focus on physical props, which will make it feel (IMHO) more "magical" than the LOUD video screens of the card attack game that debuted last year "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom."

Disney is BIG on interactive features these days. Recently it announced the (admittedly torturous) Big Thunder Mountain queue is adding interactive elements.

insiders say Pirates of the Caribbean is getting new features as well (but they may be part of "Treasures of the Seven Seas" )This trend started at the Magic Kingdom with a revamp of the "Winnie the Pooh" ride's line. And the controversial interactive graveyard addition to the line for "The Haunted Mansion."

When it debuted, Disney was big on stressing that the cartoony new "Mansion" area was optional. Not true anymore. Once FastPass+ is fully in place, only those guests can skip the graveyard, which was added with FastPass+ in mind the whole time.

"Treasures of the Seven Seas" is just the latest in a trend that started with the old "Kim Possible" game which at Epcot in 2009.It recently morphed into "Agent P's World Showcase Adventure"

Tied in with the hit show "Phineas & Ferb"Very recently, Disney announced a much-lower-tech game is coming to Animal Kingdom based on the Pixar film "Up."

The Wilderness Explorers adventure game also debuts this spring -- and will let kids of all ages earn up to 30 badges based on the Boy Scouts-like group from the film.

Makes you wonder what kind of game "Hollywood Studios" will be getting -- since it's the odd park out now.

Another question is why is Disney spending all of this money on these bells, whistles and shrunken heads? Not to mention giving away free cards for Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom.

Part of it is the "everyone needs stimulation now" world we live in where smartphones and tablets grab the focus of kids and adults at all moments. Part of it is also FastPass+. Insiders tell me standby lines could get longer on many of the attractions that never needed the original FastPass (like Pirates & Mansion). Those rides are people-eaters: smoothly handling more than 2,500 guests an hour. But FastPass+ and its appointment times can disrupt that flow. How much? We will have to wait and see once it is fully implemented.